The aim of the study was to determine the microbiological quality of three traditional offal meat products: Kashubian black pudding, black brawn (blutka) and liver sausages (léberka), manufactured in northern Poland. Samples were tested twice: immediately after purchase from producers and after storage under variable conditions (of fluctuating temperature: 24 h at 21°C ± 2°C and a further 3 days at 6°C ± 2°C). Total Viable Count (TVC) and the presence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were determined. In total five series of tests were performed, and each of these 5 samples were examined, before and after storage, with regard to each type of product. Overall, 150 samples of sausages (75 before and 75 after storage) were tested. Total Viable Count (TVC) in the tested sausages fluctuated at an average level from 2.53 log cfu/g to 5.16 log cfu/g, depending on the type of smoked product as well as on the series of tests. There were significant differences in the level of TVC in samples of meats produced at different time periods by the same manufacturer (representing different production batches of the same product); these differences were quite evident in liver sausage (léberka). In any of the tested samples, both directly after purchase and after “4-day” storage, the presence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes was not detected. The storage of tested offal meat products did not result in statistically significant differences in mean values of TVC compared to those examined immediately after purchase (p > 0.05). The results of this study indicate that traditional Polish sausages made with offals manufactured in Pomerania region are safe and microbiologically stable during storage, despite the cold chain interruption. However, the differences in bacterial contamination recorded in liver sausage and black brawn originating from different production batches should be an indication for their manufacturers to take further actions in order to obtain final products with a lower degree of contamination.
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